Walmart says its US store managers make an average of $175,000 a year

Walmart store manager might not be one of the gigs that comes to mind when thinking of high-paying jobs, but according to Walmart's first Environmental Social and Governance Report, released Wednesday, its U.S. store managers earn an average of $175,000 per year and receive benefits including parental leave, health benefits and 401(k) contributions.

That's higher than the average salary of some of the country's best paying jobs, including dentists, who make an average $174,110 a year, according to U.S. News & World Report, and lawyers, who make an average of $141,890.

By comparison, the average hourly wage of a full-time field associate at U.S. Walmart stores is $14.26, as of March. That works out to a little less than $30,000 a year, assuming a 40-hour work week and no time off.

Walmart says it has raised its starting wages in the U.S. by more than 50% over the past three years and that more than 75% of its Walmart U.S. store operations management team members started as hourly employees. (It offers two structured training programs to its associates in U.S. stores, according to the report.)

According to Walmart's website, job requirements for store managers include years of experience managing a number of associates, as well as experience in having financial accountability. An open position for a store manager in Dearborn, Michigan, for example, requires qualifications including a bachelor's degree and two years of general management experience, or without a degree, four years of general management experience.

Earlier this month, CNBC reported that Walmart is testing a new employee structure within its stores in an attempt to reduce the size of its store management staff. The result would be fewer mid-level store managers who hold greater responsibility and have increased pay.

Walmart has been criticized for employee pay in the past, and in April, Jeff Bezos challenged his top retail competitors to match Amazon's employee benefits and its $15 minimum wage. Currently, Walmart's minimum starting wage for newly hired associates is set at $11 an hour.